McDonald’s to dish up 2,500 British jobs

FAST food king McDonald’s is to create 2,500 jobs in Britain during 2012 after benefitting from a recession that has pushed customers towards its cheap meals.

The American firm announced an 11 per cent rise in net income for the last three months of 2011 to $1.38bn (£886m) on the back of a 10 per cent increase in revenue to $6.82bn (£4.37bn).

However shares closed down 2.18 per cent to $98.75 (£63.29) in New York as investors feared a strengthening US Dollar would hit future profits from its key European market.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited a McDonald’s British training centre in north London and said the jobs announcement was “fantastic news” from a company with an “excellent reputation”.

The burger firm says it expects half the jobs to go to workers aged under 25 and will take the company’s total UK workforce to around 90,000.

McDonald’s has undergone a rebrand that saw the introduction of some healthy options and calorie counts on menus. But most of the sales growth has come from the “Saver” menu which offers smaller meals at reduced cost.

Jill McDonald (pictured left), chief executive of McDonald’s UK, said: “Our continued emphasis on good quality food at affordable prices, and improving the experience for our customers and our people, has meant that we are able to continue to invest in the business and create jobs.”